e-poetry from Copper Canyon
October 31, 2012
Our Port Townsend neighbor, the remarkable Copper Canyon Press, has announced the release of its first eight e-books. The poets in the first series: David Budbill, Jon Davis, Laura Kasischke, Ben Lerner, Heather McHugh, Brenda Shaughnessy, Ed Skoog and Dean Young. Read more on the Copper Canyon website.
poem for a day of storms…
October 30, 2012
2009 Merit Award
Wife of a Fisherman*
By Niel Pfundt
Do you see that lady? At the end of the dock
In the dark, in the rain; wind tossing her hair?
Do you see how she paces? One way then the other
Stops to look; stares into night, wet jacket flying?
She is the wife of a fisherman and knows that a night,
One like this, dark and dirty, makes the water mean.
She’s been out there too, she knows the sounds,
The constant motion, water, boat, everything aboard.
In the dark rain-thick air, out on the black water
A dim light appears, fades, disappears, shows again.
In a flying cloud of spray, the faint shadow of a hull
Twists in the sea, defined by red and green sidelights.
Rounds the breakwater as men on deck lower fenders
Call out cheerfully; toss lines up to the dock.
The fisherman’s wife unclasps praying hands
Takes a line, drops the eye neatly over an iron cleat.
*Copyright 2009 by Niel Pfundt. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Placard design by Egress Studio.
Mindful Writing Day
October 29, 2012
On their website, Writing Our Way Home, Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita describe what they call a small stone as “a short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment.” (More about small stones here.)
To honor the small-stone practice, they have extended an invitation to participate in the first-ever Mindful Writing Day, Thursday, November 1. Why not? Get the details here.
Writing Our Way Home is also on Facebook.
think global write local…
October 28, 2012
Red Wheelbarrow Writers is a Bellingham-based writing community that offers workshops and online and in-person dialogue about writing. Susan Tive, Laura Kalpakian and Cami Ostman “offer an eclectic array of workshops for writers in all genres: fiction (novels and short stories), creative non-fiction, essays, YA, memoir, self-help, and the occasional poet. Our workshops address the craft and art of writing, as well as the more mundane (but just as vexing) aspects of publishing in the 21st century.”
To learn more about Red Wheelbarrow Writers, visit their website or their Facebook page or stop by the Pickford Film Center at 4pm on the first Saturday of every month (November 3 next) for their Writers’ Happy Hour.
The Red Wheelbarrow Writers will be participating in NaNoWriMo (which begins Thursday, November 1) with a one-chapter-per-day project, also described on their site.
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advocate!
October 27, 2012
Among his many credits, Matthew Dickman is the poetry editor of Tin House and a columnist for the Huffington Post.
In his HuffPo post from October 23, Dickman says,
“I think it’s time for us to advocate for poetry!
“I want to ask if you will join me in a small, inexpensive, but possibly life-altering experiment. Over the next thirty days, let’s all buy a favorite book of poems and send it to someone who doesn’t usually read poems. This could be a family member, friend, your local representative, whomever! I believe poetry enriches our lives and our hearts. I believe that by sharing poetry with others we are taking part in humanizing our culture.”
What a wonderful idea. Read the complete article, then sashay on down to your local independent bookseller, buy a book of poetry and mail it to someone. It’s a win-win-win. Thanks, Matthew.
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BOO!
October 26, 2012
In case the pumpkins, plastic gravestones and proliferation of spider webs have escaped your notice, we offer a few slightly-more-literary takes on Halloween. The photo at left is, in part, a carved book, Incarnate (Three Degrees of Certainty II), by Canadian artist Maskull Lasserre.
If your refrigerator magnets have gone a little stale or seem too bland for the occasion, might we suggest Vampire Magnetic Poetry?
The ever-vigilant Harriet (the blog of the Poetry Foundation) has alerted us to poetic Halloween costume options suggested by The Academy of American Poets.
And what could be more Halloweeny than a reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven? TeachersFirst offers a breakdown, by stanza, which highlights Poe’s use of various poetic devices. Once you’ve studied the forms, listen to Anne Waldman reading The Raven.
Um, finally, you may want to browse the graves of poets, provided helpfully by Poets.org, including a list of poets’ grave sites by state.
Subway Cento
October 25, 2012
Jack Cheng is a writer, designer and entrepreneur in Brooklyn. He creates found poems, which he calls Subway Cento, from ads in New York’s subways. According to Poets.org, “From the Latin word for ‘patchwork,’ the cento (or collage poem) is a poetic form made up of lines from poems by other poets.” While Cheng’s creations don’t use other poems as their source, they find poetic sense and image in materials that might otherwise be overlooked.
See other examples of Subway Cento and find out more about Jack Cheng on his website, or view his successful Kickstarter novel-writing campaign. You can also have a look at previous posts tagged found poetry.
Are you here?
October 24, 2012
As part of the Hugo Literary Series, Richard Hugo House (Seattle) has announced a New Works Competition. Submissions are to be previously unpublished poems, short stories and personal essays of no more than 1,500 words on the theme You Are Here.
In addition, Richard Hugo House seeks poems, short stories or personal essays of no more than 1,000 words on the theme of Strong Female Leads from students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 for a Youth New Works Competition.
The New Works Competitions are open only to residents of Washington state, Oregon, Idaho or Montana. There is a small submission fee and submissions must be sent by U.S. mail. The submission deadline for both competitions is January 11, 2013. Complete details here.
Matthew Brouwer reading…
October 23, 2012
If you enjoyed (or missed) Part 1 of Matthew Brouwer‘s chapbook series, The Gospel According to Matthew, you can hear Matthew reading from Part 2, Nocturnal Gospel, this Saturday, October 27, 2012, at 7:00pm in the Readings Gallery at Village Books in Bellingham. The reading is free. More on Matthew Brouwer here.
P.S.: Click on NW Lit Events to see what’s happening in the lit scene around Washington State. Have something to add? Leave a comment on any post.
Whatcom WRITES!
October 22, 2012
Whatcom READS! has announced that David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars has been selected as the featured book for 2013. Whatcom County residents are invited to participate in discussion groups, readings and related activities, AND to submit a poem, fiction or non-fiction piece on the theme of LOYALTIES to the Whatcom Writes! contest. Deadline December 1, 2012. Click for more information and submission details (PDF).
The Poetry Department . . . aka The Boynton Blog 